EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Gary Neville - United is my heart and soul

At the end of last season, I had Gary Neville on the phone for half an hour to discuss what went wrong, any highlights of the year and whether he had any plans on returning.

Having spoken to Neville about raising money for the Trafford Macmillan, he was keen to get involved in the RoM season review, with all the profits going to charity.

Scott: Last season was dreadful, but one highlight has obviously been seeing Giggs, Scholes, Butt and your brother on the staff. How did you feel seeing them in the dugout?

Gary: You could argue that, out of something that was pretty bad like losing your manager after ten months, it was a nice moment. I wouldn’t say it’s a positive but it was a real nice moment to watch them walk out against Norwich. Thinking about where they’ve come from and their love for the club, what the club means to them, well that’s a special moment that will never be taken away from us.

Scott: It was a great moment for the fans.

Gary: Yes, it lifted everyone on the day and brought a little bit of light at the end of a dark season.

Scott: Definitely. But didn’t you wish you were there with them? Do you have any plans to return to the club?

Gary: I did say three years ago when I left the club that it was a massive decision. The club is, after my family, the most important thing in my life, in terms of what it’s done for me and how I feel about it. But I also don’t want to rely on the club and live off the club.

I wanted to leave the club so I could experience more of the world. I’ve only ever been at United. I joined at the age of 11 at the Centre of Excellence and left at the age of 36. For 25 years of my life, Manchester United has almost consumed every waking moment, and that is a great thing. I’ve been so privileged.

But over the next 25 years of my life I want to experience different football by watching it in different countries, learning new skills, and at the moment I’m still on that journey of learning.

The coaches with England are great and I’ve been given the opportunity to work with a really good manager who I’m learning a lot from.

I would never say that I don’t want to go back to Manchester United because it is my heart and soul, but on the other hand, I want to make sure that if I do go back, it’s when I’ve learnt my trade. I’m still doing my coaching badges and I want to make sure that I’m well-rounded. I didn’t want to just fall in to the job at the end of my career.

Scott: So, if alongside that you are sticking with the telly for now, it must be hard at times, considering how you feel about United?

Gary: In a professional capacity, I work on the television, and for years I was handing out compliment after compliment. The club were fantastic, they’ve won trophies, and so I’ve been in a position where I’ve very rarely had to be critical of Manchester United, which is something I don’t want to do, because I feel the pain like the rest of you. But this season has been difficult because I’m in a professional capacity, doing a job as a pundit, so you’re working, you’re not a fan. I try, as much as possible, to be fair and say it as it is, as I would do for any other club.

This season, the fans themselves have been very critical of the club, so I’m not saying anything different to the fans. It’s just been a tough season all round.

Scott: I suppose then it’s a good note to finish on, going back to what Giggs said in the end of season speech, that the good times will return.

Gary: Everyone is in a rush these days, but I’m not, because I know the strength of my football club. The strength of my football club is everlasting. People say we’ll struggle to sign players, but people need to know that Manchester United is going nowhere. It will be there forever as one of the biggest clubs in the world. That’s not arrogance or complacency. There is the example of the club down the road, who haven’t won the league for 25 years, but I’ve seen the viewing figures. Manchester United and Liverpool are the two biggest clubs in the country when you look at the teams that want to watch them, and that’s with Liverpool going 25 years without the title.

Manchester United is a huge football club, with a massive amount of fans who love the club, and I’m not in a rush. My expectation is that we have to win the title every year, but when we don’t, you take it with dignity, and you move on.

To read the interview in full, buy the 40+ page RoM review with articles by top journalists and writers.

59 Comments

Here we go again with Ed Woodward. Comes out with his now annual PR bullshit about us having a bottomless pit of cash and we've not signed anyone for more than 5 weeks now. He would have been better served just shutting the fuck up instead of giving fans false optimism. I still do NOT want to believe that we will leave this squad like this YET AGAIN. It's not possible to be that stupid. That midfield is STILL the worst amongst the top 6 and we've lost three of our most experienced defenders (even though they were old and slowing down) and have not replaced them with ANYONE. There's still 3 weeks so I will continue to hold out hope that we have not concluded in our minds that a left back and ONE midfielder will solve all our problems.

Funnily enough I was talking about this only today. What's funny (or not so) is the fact he left the tour of the states for 'urgent business' just like last season. I mean what exactly is this urgent business because it's defo nothing to do with making any new signings which we still need in vital areas of the pitch. Talk about lightning striking twice. There must be something in the pipeline surely!!?

Ed Woodward is a much maligned man. A man who doesn’t so much divide opinion per se but instead posits the division and difference between sealing a sponsorship deal to the acquisition of a much needed centre half. Priorities eh????

In fact, opinion couldn’t be any further from one of collective and consistent condemnation with frequent mocking in the form of meme-making and parody twitter accounts.

Woodward, in his own right, is a marketing machine. Under his guidance and more recently management, the club has seen an exponential increase in commercial revenue, culminating in the record breaking kit deal with adidas. However, to the fans the signing of a new noodle supplier does little to dispel doubts about the serious lack of sufficient quality in key areas of the squad.

While Ed undoubtedly deserves to be denounced for his shambolic summer last year, some of the criticism aimed at him this summer has been unfounded and, well, slightly harsh.

Having made a hash of the Herrera deal on deadline day last September, Woodward went about his business in a professional manner thereafter having the deal wrapped up quickly, but most importantly without a whimper of speculation preceding the announcement (the way business should be done). What was most impressive about this deal was not the fact that it was seemingly done seamlessly with little speculation, despite Bilbao being notorious for making negotiations complicated, but that Woody had thrown the press off the scent of any imminent deal with Herrera rarely mentioned amongst the plethora of midfield targets linked on a daily basis.

Despite the fact that the Shaw deal was on the cards for a while, a day after Herrera was announced, it too was done – efficient and effective with a big fee to boot, we can’t be blamed for penny-pinching this time! Add in the fact that many would have swapped Rooney and £15m for Mata six months prior, Woodward must be given some credit for concluding what one would have thought was an impossible deal only a year ago.

While Woodard undeniably has a lot learn – starting with the stopping of ridiculous rhetoric’s such as;

“There is no fixed budget. Financially we are extremely strong, we have funds available,”

I am of the opinion that the lack of transfer activity that has preceded the World Cup has more to do with Van Gaal sticking by his promise of giving everyone a chance and assessing the squad before making any moves.

So, while Woodward may make empty promises such as “watch this space”, Van Gaal is a man of principle, a man of substance and a man who has thus far kept to his word.

“I have told the club I won’t do anything until I know the players here…………. I want to give all players the chance to show themselves under my guidance.”

Having wasted no time in criticising the commercial commitments of the pre-season tour in the US, Van Gaal is evidently not afraid of ruffling a few feathers of the suits up-stairs. While one wouldn’t expect him to publicly label Woodward liable for the lack of transfer activity, you can be sure if he was not happy we would be made acutely aware in some way shape or form.

There is no doubting that the current squad is lacking in quality, especially in the universally accepted two key areas of midfield and defence, but a quick scan of the marketplace and it becomes increasingly evident that there is a severe lack of realistic and reliable targets.

Despite many being disgruntled at the thought of signing perma-crock Thomas Vermaelen I was of the opinion that it would have been a decent acquisition (notwithstanding the fact that he is now out for six weeks) at a price of £10-12m Vermaelen, if fit, represented good value. With Evans blossoming into a fine defender and Smalling & Jones still relatively young, what we need more than most is quality experience, especially since the respective departures of Rio and Vida.

Again, going against the grain I am of the opinion that with a consistent run of games Smalling can/will develop into a fine centre half – right now he needs to play, the same can be said for Jones.

The loss of Vermaelen typifies much of what I am trying to say with regards to Woodward. The jeering and condemning (some of which is deserved) has almost risen to pop culture level proportion in terms of virility – it is now the cool thing to do; to blast “Woody” the grim reaper of transfer negotiations. For instance, as alluded to above, many were strongly opposed to the signing of the Belgian defender, however when he inevitably signed for Barca (why would Arsenal sell to us?) many of those of whom were against it in the first place berated Woodward for “not getting it done”.

The never ending Vidal “saga” is again awash with Woodward criticism and innuendos however it remains to be seen if Van Gaal actually wants him, or if the skepticism is based on the long-term durability of his ACL – a very valid reason not to pay an outlandish fee. My beliefs on this are simple, Van Gaal’s first choice midfielder is Strootman hence the lack of movement, however it remains to be seen if we can afford to wait until January for his signature -much will depend on the fitness and form of Darren Fletcher.

This summer has been characterised by widespread speculation but very little leaking. Respected United based journalists such as Mark Ogden and Miguel Delaney (who despite covering London has close ties to United sources) have rarely documented any concrete bids, instead often focusing on potential outgoings.

Akin to the sound of nails screeching against a blackboard the old “no value in the market” remark is yet to be branded about as consistently this summer but it may have some resonance. While not necessarily 100% true it does hold some significance when you take into account some of the extraordinary fees paid for what can only be described as ordinary players. Does £50m for Di Maria represent good value for money? No…. not when it looks as though Van Gaal will favour a 3-5-2 formation for the foreseeable future anyway (I’m not indicating Di Maria is ordinary by the way).

No doubt we drastically need a centre half and a centre midfielder to challenge again, but the lack of activity has as much to do with Van Gaal as it does Woodward. By giving everyone a chance, Van Gaal has created something no new signing could bring – a harmonious dressing room full of healthy competition, and perhaps more importantly a showing of faith that will instil a level of confidence and inner belief that can ultimately be invaluable. Van Gaal may be hard, a self-professed disciplinarian he’s tough, very tough – but fair. He is a manager who’s meticulous eye for detail, much revered man management skills, tactical awareness and footballing philosophy can transcend all realistic levels of expectancy – see Netherlands performance in Brazil.

What became apparent last year was that many had stopped playing for Moyes; it’s safe to say that this will not be the case under the guidance of the enigmatic Dutchman.

@Reddevil
I admire your faith in ol' woody and your sage like advice on what's going on, but like you pointed out in your long post, things have been kept under wraps this time around and not even former jounals in the know seem to have a clue, given this, how is it then you seem to have intimate knowledge of whats going on?
I put it to you that you are as much in the dark as all of us, you don't know if it's LVG who has put a stop to the signings or it's woody who's unable to complete a signing within the summer and needs another year. Truth be told i lean strongly on woody's incompetence as the reason, if as you say LVG wants time to have a look at the players in his disposal, why did he sanction the purchase of herreira &shaw, he should have waited until after the tour.
One thing i do agree with you though is about Vidal, I'm not convinced he will be worth the 60m being quoted, especially with that dodgy knee.

To be honest mate I think youre being harsh on Valencias defensive qualitites, the only mistakes hes made in the RB position are when hes started at RW but due to injuries been forced back, its difficult changing complete position during a game but apart from that hes defensivily very good, RWB is tailer made for him and I believe he is a sure thing to start the season, i agree Rafa days are probably numboured.

@Slim

Rafa is too rash, someone said hes an immature player and thats probably correct, more chance of seeing a red for a rash tackle than a piece of good defending.

@John

What happened to you saying Vidal, Hummels and Dui Maria were coming in, why cant youre crystal ball be working properly, goddammit. Mangala will flop mark my words, seen him play hes nothing specail, no big deal him ging to City.

That's not my article. It appeared in red mancunian a day ago. The truth is Ogden probably is the most reliable united journalist out there, first one to break Ferguson retirement news . Van persie transfer nd last yr rift between moyes and team. Most of the rumours appear in express, mail nd star which are probably the least reliable journos out there. As Woodward said in an interview, last to last year club was linked to 350 players but only signed 3. So a lot of this stupid stuff is only meant for sale. Either you stay sane and judge something at the end of the task or bark at every passing car like a mad dog. We got Herrera. And Shaw and they were needed. A defender and midfielder might come and as expected most of the business is done in the last days of the window.